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National Standards Sought for Teen Drivers

Three Democratic senators are pushing legislation to create a
national graduated driver licensing (GDL) law. They say it would replace
a patchwork of state laws with a single national standard that
encompasses proven safety policies for novice drivers.

Every state
except North Dakota has a licensing program for teens that includes
three phrases. The strongest programs include restrictions on nighttime
driving, limits on the number of teen passengers and a minimum age of 16
for getting a learner's permit. Forty-two states allow learner's
permits before age 16.

There is little debate about the
effectiveness of good GDL programs on highway safety. States that impose
major restrictions have seen crash reductions of 10%-30%, according to
the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In Massachusetts, fatal
crashes involving drivers younger than 18 dropped 75% in the three years
after the state implemented tougher restrictions for young drivers;
injury crashes involving these drivers fell 38%.

What is sparking
controversy is a key component of the proposed federal legislation: It
raises the age at which young drivers can get a learner's permit from 14
or 15 in most states to 16; it also sets 18 as the minimum age at which
young drivers can get an unrestricted license.

The Senate
legislation, the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STAND
UP) act for new drivers under 21, would:

•Establish a three-stage
process with a learner's permit and intermediate stage before an
unrestricted driver's license.

•Prohibit unsupervised nighttime
driving during the first two stages.

•Prohibit non-emergency use
of cellphones and other communications devices during the first two
phases.

States failing to comply with STAND UP's minimum
requirements after three years would lose some federal highway
construction money.